Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1887-05-12
CITY COUNCIL.
The Full Report Of the Committee
on Water Mains.

on Water Mains.
Adjourned meeting OF the city council
Monday night, the mayor in the chair.
Present Aldermen Clark, Dole, Driscoll,
Hughes, ngraham. Mueller and Selvidge.
Absent Alderman Watson.
Alderman Selvidge moved that the
reading of the minutes be dispensed with.
Carried. .s5a
Alderman Selvidge moved that the city
clerk be instructed to purchase necessary
books for the tax list. Carried.
Alderman Ingraham, chairman Of the
standing committee on printing, present.
ed the following report:
JAMESTOWN. May 6, 1887.
To the Hon. Mayor and City Council:
GENTLEMEN:-You our committee on
printing to whom was referred the bids
of the Capital and ALERT to do the city
printing for the ensuing year, respectful
" report that we have examined the bids
and have taken great pains to fully de-
termine which is the lower bid. We find
The ALERT the lower bidder and recon-
mend that the city printing be given to
The ALERT and also that The ALERT be
designated as the official paper of the city
of jamestown for the ensuing year.
Respectfully submitted.
g. w. INGRAHAM, Chairman.
j. A. DOLE
Alderman Clark moved that the report
be accepted and placed on file. Carried.
Alderman Ingraham stated that news
paper man from st. Paul had figured the
bids for him and advised that the bid Of
The ALERT be accepted as it was the
lowest. Also that the committee had
figured on them with the same result.
Alderman Clark moved that The ALERT
be made the official paper Of the city:
Carried.
CONCERNING WATER MAINS.
City Clerk Blewett read the following
report from the committee on water
mains:
To the Hon. Mayor and Common Council
ia of the City Of jamestown, OAK.
We the undersigned, appointed as a
special committee to investigate and re-
port plans for developing a system OF
water works and mains in our city, report
as follows:
The flow from the artesian well is esti-.
mated to be about 375 gallons per minute
and the pressure to be 95 pounds to the
square inch. It is believed that this
amount OF water is adequate to supply
the present needs Of our city, and il our
future growth and consequently enlarged
consumption of water shall at any time
render the present supply inadequate, q
simple solution OF the problem will be
found in sinking another we'll on the OPP
posite side of the city. This would not
only double the supply but largely IN
crease the pressure and facilitate the
circulation of the water throughout the
entire system. I.
Your committee are unanimously Of
the opinion that the city should develop,
own and control it's own system OF water
works, after having expended more than
seven thousand dollars in an experiment.,
having taken all the chances OF failure
and having in addition to an abundant
supply of water, obtained with it, a suff-
cient pressure to force the water to any
part Of our city, it would be poor policy
to divert the revenues, which with the
laying of mains will be derived from pri-
vate consumers, into any other than the
city's treasury. We have the water and
the pressure behind it and all we need to
give US a perfect system OF water works,
is the laying OF mains in our streets.
When once completed the expense of
maintaining such a system, with the
water self-supplied with pressure, must
necessarily be light.
oe,,11 ~, 1,rI&
from every standpoint and are OF the
opinion that the expense OF laying mains
should be divided in some equitable ratio
between the property most Immediately
benefited and a general municipal tax.
But under the construction gwen to our
charter by the city attorney We are pow
erless to make special assessments Tor
water mains upon abutting property. We
are therefore driven to the conclusion
that the expense of laying mains and
developing the system must be borne In
the same manner in which the cost OF |
sinking the artesian well was betrayed,
by general tax, this may seem inequita-
bic and SO it will be to this extent: That
the people living alongside the mains first |
laid will enjoy the use of the water sooner
chan those whose wants cannot be imme-
liately supplied. But this inequity will |
be- rectifed by the complete development
Of the system, to be made by general
TAX. When completed the proposed system
will comparatively speaking, supply the.
wants of all. We therefore recommend
The laying out and adoption Of a system
IF water mains comprehensive enough to
afford adequate protection against fire
.or all our business property and sup
ply for business and domestic purposes.
The wide extent of our city of course.
precludes the idea OF attempting at the
present time to extend our mains to the
outlying property, and our efforts must
be- confined for the present to supplying
,he wants of the compact and centrally
located portions of the city. With the
growth of the outlying districts there
viii of course, follow an extension of
mains to accommodate the demand for
water. We recommend system of water
mains which, when completed will fur
nish water for FIRE protection and domes-
nc use to all the business, and five sixths
IF the dwelling houses of the city. Such
4 system may be outlined as follows:
An 8-inch main extending from the
we'll south on Fifth avenue to Wisconsin
street; a 6-inch main from that point
south to the James river; a 6-inch parallel
main on Second avenue from Sixth street
10 st. Paul avenue. These two mains
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